The third school was started about 1851 in a house which stood about where the Beduhn and Goetz Furniture Store now stands at the corner of Washington 18th Streets. A certain C. Canright was the teacher. About the same year, Mrs. Diantha Smith Hamilton (wife of H.C. Hamilton) taught a class of 20 pupils. In 1862, a public school was opened by Miss Honey in the second story of a building which stood at Main and Rivers Streets, across from where the Hamilton Manufacturing Company warehouse now stands; A German school was conducted on the first floor. In 1864, a primary school was organized and another began in the Berger building at Main and Jefferson Streets. In 1866, a new public school was erected at a cost of $5,000 on the site now occupied by the H.P. Hamilton School. It was a two-story frame structure containing four rooms and J.F. Silsbee was in charge. In 1876, the second kindergarten instituted in the state was begun in Two rivers with Miss Josephine Arnstein in charge. A free public high school was voted and built in 1877 at a cost of $7,000 and a three-year course begun with J.M. Rait as principal. The attendance was small and a staff of two teachers easily handled the classes. In 1881, A. Thomas became principal, followed in order by Arthur Burch and C.O. Marsh.

Denominational schools ere being started in this period also, and the first Catholic school was built in 1877 in St. Luke's parish, which had started in 1851, and which celebrated its Diamond Jubilee in 1926.

Agitation for a modern new high school began about 1900 and in 1905, a large red brick high school was dedicated. It was valued at about $80,000. In its day, it was an exceptional high school and had, among other things, such modern innovations as a vacuum sweeping system, a large gymnasium and shower baths, besides a large auditorium and a domestic and manual arts department. The South side was accommodated with a grade school built on School Street, which school was lately named the Roosevelt School. St. John's Lutheran School, a brick structure net to the H.P. Hamilton School, was erected to give parochial education to Lutheran children and after May 10, 1889, when the Polish element of St. Luke's Catholic parish separated and build its own church under rev. F. Luczychi, another parochial school for Polish Catholics was started. The school was housed in the old church after the new edifice was built at the corner of Washington and 22nd Streets. St. Luke's Church built a new brick school about 1909 and erected an addition to it in 1921. The Polish parish erected a new red school about the same time.

In 1922, the new Washington High School was finished at a cost of about $600,000 and occupies an extensive plot of ground at the north end of Washington Street and what was formerly a ball park termed "the white fence." Superintendent F.G. bishop, the present administrator, was largely responsible for the advanced, progressive step the city took in building a high school so modern and large as the Washington School is.

The last school built is St. Mark's Catholic on the south side. The new parish, which was created in 1924, built a new church and a new school in less than two year's time. The school was dedicated on November 25, 1926 by Right Rev. bishop Paul Rhode of Green Bay.

In 1872, the Manitowoc County Chronicle was started by a stock company under the editorship of H.S. Pirpont. In continued under his direction for five years then was bought by William F. Nash, an ex-student of Lawrence College. He was publisher for 35 years until he was forced by illness to be succeeded by his son, Noel, who has been editor and publisher of the Two Rivers Chronicle since 1909.

There was no rival in the field until March, 1904 when Fred Althen began the Two rivers Reporter in a front room of his residence at Monroe and 16th Streets. In April, 1913 the Reporter was acquired by Arthur Baetz, who still edits it.

Besides the several plantk roads that connected the town with Manitowoc, Mishicot, Kewaunee, and Two Creeks, the only means of communication and transportation in the earl days was by boat. The Goodrich vessels gave regular service and the large commercial importance of Two Rivers during this era has been pointed out.

The first railroad in the county was the Appleton and New London Railroad, which touched at Manitowoc. In 1873, the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western was completed from Manitowoc to Milwaukee and combined with the Appleton Road. On June 22, 1871, the first locomotive arrived on the steamer Mediterranean from Buffalo; it was named the "Ben Jones" and was the object of much curiosity on the part of the residents.

In 1874, a branch line was built to Two Rivers, for this had been the promise made Two Riverites to enlist their support in getting the railroad through to Milwaukee. The coming of this railroad marks the beginning of the decrease of lake shipping out of Two Rivers. Gradually, but surely, the railroad took more and more business from the boat lines and after about 30 years of competition, the Goodrich company erased Two Rivers from its schedule. Since the building of this branch line, Two Rivers has been clamoring for an outlet to the north, either to Sturgeon Bay or to Green Bay. Several movements have been started, both for steam and electric lines, but none has materialized. Thomas Higgins of Menasha and Henry Higgins of Marinette obtained a 35-year franchise on October, 1900, to start the Manitowoc and Northern Traction Company. In spring of 1902, the electric interurban line between Manitowoc and Two Rivers was opened and prospered until several years ago when automobile and bus competition on the concrete highway reduced the patronage. The property as acquired by the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation and with the subsequent addition of new rolling stock, the service improved and patronage increased. Due to the controversy over street paving between the tracks of the line in the city, electric interurban serve was discontinued in the spring of 1927 and a bus served was substituted.

In 1888, members of the Chautauqua Reading Circle proposed the establishment of a city library and began soliciting subscriptions. Mrs. Joseph Mann, a widow, gave $1,000 in memory of her husband. Leopold Mann gave $500 and the site on which the building was to be erected, and Henry Mann, Jr. gave $500. The Joseph Mann Library Association was chartered on December 21, 1893 and the building was completed at a cost of $3,500. This took all the subscription money, but the association mortgaged the real estate and bought the first order of books for $500. After three unsuccessful attempts to have the city appropriate $500 annually to support and build up the library, the proposition was carried in a special election. C.O. Marsh was the first president of the board of directors. The building was a roomy and handsome one and is now occupied by the city administration departments and a sign in gold and black upon it reads "CITY HALL." In 1910, the library contained 4,400 volumes.

With money obtained from the Carnegie Library Fund in 1913, a new library was stared directly across from the old one, on a lot donated by C.E. Mueller. the handsome new structure of brick was dedicated on June 4, 1914 when Conrad Baetz was mayor.

Perhaps the first lodge to be organized in Two Rivers was the Independent Order of Odd Fellows which started its Lodge Number 56 in 1853. The Knight Templars founded two units, Number 154 and 345, but both failed. A German society, the Sons of Hermann, organized the Lodge Number 5 in 1856 and remained active for many years. Another society, a music club, was started by the Germans in 1855 and was called the Liedertafel. The Two Rivers Concert Band was organized and flourished. Also, an athletic club, the Turnverein, was organized in 1857 and in 1867 the organization built the Tuner Hall, which, I understand, occupied the site on which the Hamilton factory C stands now. Concerts and dances, as well as athletic contests, were held in the Turner Hall. The Two Rivers Gun club, which is still in existence and which controls a large plat of woodland along the lake shore above Molarsh Creek, was started in 1880.

The Masonic Order was established at Two Rivers on July 15, 1874; the Modern Woodmen in 1890; the Catholic Order of Foresters in 1894; the Maccabees in 1901; and the Knights of Columbus in 1902. Other organizations existing in this period were the Catholic Protective Association, the Catholic Knights of Wisconsin, St. Joseph's Society, St. Joseph Athletic Association, the Loyal Order of Moose, the Quinn Athletic Club, the Elks, and Ladies Aid Society.

The Opera House is the oldest show place in the city, filling the place formerly held by the Turner Hall and even today is variously used for speeches, concerts, theatricals, mass meetings and dances. The Empire Theatre started in competition in 1911 and both continued the showing of moving pictures until the new Rivoli Theater, built in 1922, virtually forced the Opera House out of the competition for patronage.